Curtis Turner’s Convertible

by Tom Jensen May 03, 2023

Thanks to the generosity and craftsmanship of Wood Brothers Racing, Curtis Turner’s 1961 Ford Galaxie Sunliner is on Glory Road.

Last summer, when the NASCAR Hall of Fame Curatorial Department began planning its “Glory Road: 75 Years” exhibit, one of the primary goals was to tell as many compelling stories as possible about the history and heritage of the sport and the people who created it through the 19 cars on display.

Each car was chosen to reflect one of the many themes that were part of NASCAR’s first 75 years. Some of those themes were family, innovation, trailblazers, NASCAR’s roots and diverse divisions. To that end, “Glory Road: 75 Years” features eight past and present NASCAR series, far and away the most we’ve ever had in a single Glory Road exhibit.

One of the series we chose to highlight was the NASCAR Convertible Division, which ran from 1956 to 1959. The series traced its roots to 1955, when NASCAR founder and Hall of Famer William H.G. France (Class of 2010) purchased an organization called SAFE, which was short for Society of Auto Sports Fellowship and Education. SAFE operated a convertibles-only series and France decided it was a good time to capitalize on the post-World War II popularity of convertible models.

In 1956, NASCAR staged 47 Convertible Division races in what proved to be the high-water mark for the series. The number of Convertible races declined in each of the subsequent three seasons, falling to 37 races in 1957, 19 in ’58 and just 15 in ’59.

The Convertible has an interesting history. Hall of Famer Curtis Turner (Class of 2016) won a record 38 of the 79 Convertible Division races he competed in, but never won a series championship. Why? Because he had DNFs in more than one-third of his starts, meaning he tended to either win or push his car beyond the limits trying. Turner personified a popular term to describe hard-charging racers of that era: “Go or blow.”

North Carolina racer Bob Welborn won just 19 Convertible Division races – exactly half of Turner’s total – but won the first three series championships because he was more consistent.

Here’s an interesting tidbit: In 1959, Daytona International Speedway opened. There were two 100-mile qualifying races that year to set the Daytona 500 field. The first was for hardtop race cars and the second was for the Convertible Division. Shorty Rollins won the Convertible race with Hall of Famers Richard Petty (Class of 2010) and Glen Wood (2013) finishing third and fourth, respectively. Petty ran his 1957 Oldsmobile 88 ragtop in the first Daytona 500 but dropped out early with engine failure.

Although NASCAR formally discontinued the Convertible Division after 1959, Martinsville Speedway ran “Sweepstakes Races” that combined hardtops and convertibles, while Darlington Raceway ran Convertible races through the 1962 season.

And that brings us to our featured Glory Road car, a No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing 1961 Ford Galaxie Sunliner. This stunning red convertible is a meticulous re-creation of the car Curtis Turner raced at Darlington on May 6, 1961, when he finished second to fellow Hall of Famer Fred Lorenzen (Class of 2015).

Turner and Lorenzen battled all race long, with Lorenzen making the final winning pass in his Holman-Moody Racing Ford with just 2 laps to go to secure the victory and the $8,420 first-place money. Lorenzen broke the track record, averaging 118.520 miles per hour, which was plenty fast for a car with no roof. Turner hung on for second, taking home $4,600 for his efforts.

Wood Brothers Racing is NASCAR’s oldest continually operating team, having raced since 1950. The craftsman at the team did an incredible job in building an exact replica of Turner’s Ford convertible. The quality of the work is impeccable and the detail on this car is phenomenal.

Since the NASCAR Hall of Fame opened in 2010, the Wood family has been exceptionally generous in loaning us artifacts that range from trophies and uniforms to entire cars. We are very thankful for their ongoing support of our mission here at the NASCAR Hall of Fame. And we encourage fans to come out and see the 19 cars that comprise “Glory Road: 75 Years."

Plan a visit to the NASCAR Hall of Fame and purchase tickets at nascarhall.com/tickets.